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Ahead of the Curve blog series, authored by HB Lanarc and sponsored by BasicGov, explores trends in municipal management, including a move to adopt sustainable practices. Leading communities are taking on all of these trends and leveraging opportunities to improve services to citizens and productivity.

Opportunities for Leadership Part 3: Making Visions Real

Mayor and Council are increasingly expected to show their constituents that their actions support their words.  This accountability starts with high-level direction setting from Mayor, Council and senior staff, reflected in regular reporting on implementation of strategic plans and community land use plans. 

But it is during rezoning and development permit applications that citizens really experience the impact of policies, so communities are beginning to use “sustainability checklists” and similar tools to demonstrate that their policies are being implemented on the ground. 

In the future, we may see permitting software used to track these checklists, and to report the aggregate performance of applicants to senior management and Council.  This enables them to show how well development is meeting community visions.

Previous Ahead of the Curve blog posts Trend 1 – Drive toward sustainability, Trend 2 – Mounting fiscal challenges, Trend 3 – public demands for accountability, Trend 4 – reduce red tape, Trend 5 – risk management, Trend 6 – preparing for emergencies, Development process – manage land use, Leadership opportunity 1 – making sustainability a daily consideration; Leadership opportunity 2 – cheaper, faster, more resilient processes.

Click to read Ahead of the Curve white paper

Ahead of the Curve blog series authored by HB Lanarc and sponsored by BasicGov explores trends in municipal management, including a move to adopt sustainable practices. Leading communities are taking on all of these trends and leveraging opportunities to improve services to citizens and productivity

Opportunities for Leadership in Development Review and Approvals

2. Cheaper, faster, more resilient processes

Leading local governments are working hard to streamline business and approvals processes.  One common approach is leveraging software tools to make efficient use of time and resources (for example Waxhaw, NC has halved their response time for permit applications).

This software is increasingly used to track timing and content of applications “at-a-glance,” and ranges from in-house, server-based systems to commercial web-based services.  It can significantly reduce the staff effort required to manage the process, speed up approvals, and reduce exposure to legal risks by ensuring that all information is collected and communicated to the right people and in a timely manner.

In addition, many local governments are turning to web-based “cloud computing” and off-site back-up systems to ensure they can continue to operate during and after emergencies.

Next post we’ll talk about making visions real.

Previous Ahead of the Curve blog posts Trend 1 – Drive toward sustainability, Trend 2 – Mounting fiscal challenges, Trend 3 – public demands for accountability, Trend 4 – reduce red tape, Trend 5 – risk management, Trend 6 – preparing for emergencies, Development process – manage land use, Leadership opportunity 1 – making sustainability a daily consideration.

Click to read Ahead of the Curve white paper